Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

http:// www.hsph.harvard.edu/oemr/

From OEMR Program Director and Associate Professor: Stefanos N. Kales, MD, MPH, FACP, FACOEM (OEMR 1993)

Editor: Tiffany Kehayoglou Sarkissian Table of Contents:

Director’s Note 1

2015-2016 Residents

2-4

2016 Graduates 4-6

Alumni Spotlights: Dr. Carolyn Langer / Dr. Rokho Kim

7, 8

Resident Research Awards/ Presentations/APBM Board Exam Successes

9, 10

Resident & Recent Alumni Publications/ “Prajna” fund

11

Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Howard Frumkin

11

Harriet Hardy Award: Dr. Michael Erdil

12

Dr. Elisha Atkins’ Retirement / Dr. Kales Visits Teikyo University

13

Outstanding Teacher Awards

14

Donor Recognition & Donation form NECOEM Posters/ AOHC Reunion Dinner/Dr. Kales Visits Korea Mediterranean Diet and Health Conference

15 16 17

Sponsors:

Medlock Consulting

Cambridge Health Alliance

NECOEM

Occupational Health Connections

OEHN

Welcome to the 2016 Occupation-

al and Environmental Medicine

Residency (OEMR) Annual Re-

port. This is our ninth edition of

the OEMR Synapse and we have

much exciting news to report. If

you are a competitive student,

resident or mid-career physician,

we hope the OEMR Synapse will

inspire you to consider OEM and

the Harvard program. To our

alumni and friends, we hope to

keep you connected and continue

to count on your vital support –

moral, teaching, networking and

financial. As we celebrate our

current residents, 2016 graduates,

distinguished alumni, we also in-

form you of additional further

progress in diversifying our fund-

ing for training. Last fall, we an-

nounced that our program received

$1 million in endowed and

$250,000 in current use funds for

resident scholarships. These funds

have been generously donated by

an anonymous donor. The size of

this gift (“Prajna” fund) was un-

precedented for the residency and

adds to the over $300,000 already

collected in our endowed Nyla

Medlock Fund. The latter fund has

grown steadily with the help of

Nyla and a few other dedicated

supporters. For 2016, Jeff Vogel

(OEMR ’16) was named the inau-

gural Medlock Fellow. In further

recognition of Nyla’s generosity

and leadership, the School has

selected Nyla for a feature inter-

view in Legacy Matters, the offi-

cial newsletter of Harvard Chan’s

1913 Society, which honors per-

sons who make a life income pro-

vision to our School. So, a huge

thanks to all who have contributed.

Continuing this philanthropic work

is crucial to growing the specialty

of occupational medicine. This

year, we interviewed a large num-

ber of extremely competitive ap-

plicants, and we had to turn away

some very deserving candidates

due to insufficient funding. Given

our large census, our financial

needs exceed our NIOSH budget,

which remains under constant

threat. Please reflect on how the

Harvard OEMR has benefitted

your career and consider helping

to make these opportunities pos-

sible for future residents (see

page 15). 2016 was a year with

many other successes. We pro-

duced five graduates and an inter-

national fellow who is now a fac-

ulty member in her home country.

Our graduates continue to excel on

the ABPM OM Board exam (see

page 9). We maintain a strong

census of highly qualified resi-

dents, and we have recruited an-

other stellar class for the summer

of 2017. 2016 also marked note-

worthy highlights from Harvard

OEM alumni and faculty. Carolyn

Langer (OEMR ‘93), Chief Medi-

cal Officer of MassHealth and

Harvard Chan faculty received the

Leadership in Public Health Prac-

tice Award, one of our School’s

highest honors. Jim Tacci (OEMR

’97) served as ACOEM’s Presi-

dent and completes his term at this

year’s meeting in Denver. Howard

Frumkin (MPH ‘82, OEMR ‘88)

finished a six-year term as Dean of

the University of Washington

School of Public Health, and con-

tinues to serve as Professor of

Environmental and Occupational

Health Sciences. Lee Okurowski

(OEMR ‘02) was named the resi-

dency’s Clinical Preceptor of the

Year. Rohko Kim (OEMR ’95)

and I participated as keynote

speakers and delivered several

other lectures during a week of

conferences in Seoul, Korea. We

also celebrated Elisha (Skip)

Atkins (OEMR ‘82) retirement

from occupational medicine after

many decades exceptional service

as the Director of MGH’s Employ-

ee Health Service, a member of

our Residency Advisory Commit-

tee and as an outstanding clinical

preceptor. At NECOEM’s annual

conference, one of our residents’

favorite guest faculty, Michael

Erdil from OEHN and University

of Connecticut received the 2016

distinguished Harriet Hardy

Award. At AOHC in Chicago, Jeff

Vogel received an OPSF Scholar-

ship and Kevin Loh (OEMR ’16)

received ACOEM’s Public Safety

Award. Also at AOHC, Jim Tacci

was elevated to President, and we

enjoyed fellowship at an outstand-

ing reunion dinner and reception.

Please mark your calendars to

join us in Denver, for ACOEM’s

102nd annual meeting, and our

2017 reunion dinner (see page

16). In closing, 2016 marked my

10th year of directing the Harvard

OEMR. It is my honor and privi-

lege to lead this world renowned

program. I look forward to seeing

you whenever the opportunity

presents! On behalf of the whole

program, we extend best wishes for health and success in 2017 to

you and your families. One more

time, we thank our friends and

benefactors for their generous

support.

Best regards, Stefanos

2017, 9th Edition

OEMR SYNAPSE / 2016 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 2

Current Residents: First Year

David Rainey, MD, MEd (OEMR '18) is from Boise, Idaho and

received his MD and M.Ed degrees from the University of Washing-

ton. Prior to medical school, he worked as a research assistant to

an academic dermatologist renowned for her work on contact der-

matitis, where he was first exposed to the field of occupational dis-

ease. David is interested in integrated workplace safety and wellness

programs, and in the One Health approach to interdisciplinary

health sciences education and health promotion. His other interests

include technology entrepreneurship, medical education, and the

built environment. He is happily married and enjoying the adventure

of raising three young children, with whom he enjoys playing music,

tennis, biking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Michael S. Chin, MD (OEMR '18) is a native of Boston and a grad-

uate of the Tufts University School of Medicine. He attended the

University of Virginia with undergraduate majors in Psychology and

East Asian Studies. He was previously a Plastic Surgery resident at

the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he elected to

perform three years of dedicated research in radiation exposure. His

basic science and clinical investigations in radiation led to an interest

in public health and Occupational Medicine. In his free time, he

serves as the only certified instructor of Systema Russian Martial Art

in Massachusetts, teaching his students the connections between

mind, body, and psyche.

Clifton J. Wilcox, MD (OEMR '18) received his MD from Eastern Virgin-

ia Medical School and his B.A. in Economics from University of Chicago.

He completed his internal medicine internship at Allegheny General

Hospital (Drexel) in Pittsburgh, PA. Cliff has practiced medicine in many

different settings at home and abroad; he has also held commercial pi-

lot's license and flown with United Airlines Express, based out of Dulles

and O'Hare, with approximately 3,000 flying hours. While growing up

in greater Chicago, Cliff's father, a pediatric dentist, was one of his

sources of inspiration to become a physician. He enjoys spending time

with family and is an avid traveler, hiker and physical fitness enthusiast.

See page 17 to learn more about

Mediterranean Diet & Health Conference / October 15-21, 2017 / Halkidiki, Greece

Page 3

Current Residents: Second Year

Neil Jenkins, MD, MPH, PhD (OEMR ‘17) grew up on a farm near the

strip mines of Ohio coal country. He has long been interested in the impact

of the built environment on human health. He received his undergraduate

and doctorate degrees in materials science and engineering at MIT. In gradu-

ate school, he analyzed welding fumes made up of ultrafine particles that can

contain hexavalent chromium, nickel or manganese. His first experience at

HSPH was collecting fume particles for Dr. Joseph Brain's group by welding in

the basement of SPH1. He subsequently received his MD and MPH degrees

at The Ohio State University. He then completed his internship at the Uni-

versity of Vermont. Since graduate school he has worked as a consultant on

cases that include respirable particles, crush injuries, falls, fires and explo-

sions. He finds forensic investigation intellectually challenging and suited to

his multi-disciplinary background. He likes farming, making ice cream, driving

his VW GTI and rock climbing.

Liz Kwo, MD, MBA, MPH (MPH ‘16, OEMR ’17) received her a BA from

Stanford University and completed a Fulbright Scholarship in Taiwan research-

ing the health and wellness of elderly populations, her MD from Harvard Medical School and her MBA from Harvard Business School. Liz completed her

medical internship at CHA/Harvard Medical School. She formerly worked for

Medtronic in Europe and the US, specializing in medical device product devel-

opment, marketing, operations and remote monitoring for the ENT and Diabetes Business Unit. She was the VP of Provider Networks at American

Well, a telemedicine company that offers online physician visits to employers

and insurance companies to improve access to care and health monitoring. She

has experience co-founding and selling her company New Pathway Education

and Technology Group to the private equity firm CVC. She advises several

start-ups and venture capital firms in strategy and growth. Her hope is to help

businesses effectively align incentives to improve employee productivity and

wellness through technology and innovation.

Shane Journeay, PhD, MD, MPH (MPH ’15). After completing his MPH in

2015, Shane returned to the University of Toronto and finished his Physiatry

Training program. He is originally from Nova Scotia, Canada and obtained his

MD from Dalhousie Medical School, where he was able to complete an away

OEM rotation in his final year at HSPH/CHA. Prior to medical school, Shane

received a Bachelor of Science as well as a Master’s degree from the University

of Ottawa, where he investigated the effects exercise and heat stress on cardi-

ovascular physiology. He subsequently completed a PhD in Toxicology with a

focus on nanotechnology at the University of Saskatchewan. He has represent-

ed Canada at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, where

he received a Diploma in Space Studies. Shane was also chosen by the Canadi-

an Space Agency to complete a month long rotation in aerospace medicine at

the NASA Johnson Space Center. He has over 30 peer reviewed publications

and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Occupational Medicine and

Toxicology.

Page 4

Complementary Pathway

John D. Clarke, MD, FAAFP, (OEMR ’18) is a board certified Family Physician. He

received his BA in sociology and music from Columbia University and is a graduate of

the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in NY. He completed his residency in Family Medi-

cine at St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers in NY where he served as Chief Resi-

dent. John then served as the Medical Director and Medical Review officer for the

Long Island Rail Road in NY. Currently he is the Administrative Medical Director and a

Medical Review Officer for Consolidated Edison Company of New York. In addition,

he practiced general family medicine in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. John has a

passion for writing and producing rap songs and videos and has fused medical infor-

mation rap and created a genre that he calls Health Hop®. Over the years, he has rec-

orded dozens of songs and several public service announcements. With his strong OM

work experience, John has joined the Complementary Pathway, half-time for two

years. He also enjoys opportunities to educate as a public speaker and has presented

on a variety of medical and safety topics at national and international medical confer-

ences, Grand Rounds, community, school, and church events, and has been inter-

viewed on national and international television and radio programs.

Graduates Deborah Barbeau, MD, PhD, MSPH, (OEMR ’16) was Chief Resident for

2015-2016. Originally from Wellesley, MA, she received her MD from Columbia

University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed Internal Medicine

training at the Columbia Presbyterian. She then completed a combined Infectious

Diseases/Epidemiology Fellowship at Emory University and the CDC in Atlanta,

GA. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Her re-

search interests including, Travelers’ Health, water quality and sanitation, prompt-

ed her to pursue a Masters of Science in Public Health and subsequently a PhD in

Environmental Health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropi-

cal Medicine, focusing on the health effects of recognized and emerging pollutants.

She hopes to pursue clinical and research activities that allow her to combine her

medical and public health interests, with a focus on the interactions between the

environment, infectious diseases, and human health. Upon completing her resi-

dency, Deb was appointed Associate Medical Director for OEHN. She currently

lives in Dedham, MA with her husband, JB, and their two sons, Harry Rex and

William (“Will”).

Kevin Loh, DO, FS, MPH (MPH ’15, OEMR ’16) graduated in 2016 and is a U.S.

Air Force Scholar. Kevin is originally from Taiwan and immigrated to the U.S. dur-

ing high school. After completing his Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineer-

ing degree at California State Polytechnic University, he worked as a Bioenviron-

mental Engineer in the U.S. Air Force, giving him a strong foundation in industrial

hygiene. He subsequently completed medical school at the Western University of

Health Sciences. After finishing his internship at Keesler Medical Center, Mississip-

pi, he served as a U.S. Air Force Flight Surgeon. His experiences have included:

being the main medical liaison officer between the U.S. Air Force and a Singapore-

an flight squadron stationed at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho; deployment to a Con-

tingency Aeromedical Staging Facility providing care to wounded soldiers return-

ing home; and working as a medical consultant on a B-1 Lancer Crash Accident

Investigation Board. Currently, as the medical director of 353 Battlefield Airmen

in the Training Squadron at Lackland AFB, Texas, Kevin oversees the health/

wellness and human performance optimization program among combat athletes.

Page 5

Graduates Continued... Erin Teeple, MD, MPH (MPH ’14, OEMR ‘16) graduated with honors from

Brown University and received her MD from Brown Medical School. Erin’s in-

terest in Occupational Medicine developed from her desire to more effectively

evaluate and treat musculoskeletal injuries and osteoarthritis, a topic she began

to consider during her Orthopedic Surgery Residency and Sports Medicine Re-

search Fellowship at Brown/Rhode Island Hospital. Erin completed her OEM

training over three years through a joint appointment in the OEMR and on the

NIAMS T32 Grant held by Drs. Jeffrey N. Katz and Elena Losina in the Ortho-

pedic and Arthritis Center for Outcomes Research (OrACORe) at Brigham and

Women’s Hospital. Erin has published in the areas of cartilage mechanics and

osteoarthritis pathophysiology, and she is particularly interested in maximizing

functional outcomes in osteoarthritis treatment. Erin is currently a post-

doctoral fellow at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and lives in

Westborough, MA with her husband, a professor of Classics at the College of

the Holy Cross in Worcester, and their two children.

Samuel D. Turner, MD, MPH (MPH ’15, OEMR ‘16) hails from the

Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia. He is a graduate of the

University of Virginia and the Medical College of Virginia. Sam’s resi-

dency research was titled, Self-reported Stress-related Illnesses among US

Law Enforcement Officers: A National Survey, and is in the process of

submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Sam, his wife and their four

children greatly enjoyed exploring the Boston area. Outside of Occupational Medicine, Sam also enjoys running, hiking, skiing, and

rotary-engine sports cars.

Jeffrey E. Vogel, MD, MPH (MPH ’16, OEMR ’16) is originally from Baltimo-

re, Maryland. He attended Lafayette College and obtained a Bachelors of Scien-

ce in Biology. During this time, Jeff spent his summer and winter vacations wor-

king at the Center for Vaccine Development (CVD), conducting research focu-

sed on the stabilization of plasmid-based vaccine delivery utilizing Salmonella

typhi live vectors. Jeff continued his training at the Emory University School of

Medicine, graduating in 2011. Jeff successfully completed a General Surgery In-

ternship at Vanderbilt University. He then completed two years of Plastic and

Reconstructive Surgery at Loma Linda University in Southern California. Based

on Jeff’s keen interest in lifestyle and workplace health promotion, as well as

entrepreneurial endeavors, he decided to change career course and enter OEM

training. Jeff is the co-founder and CEO of RecoverMe, a venture-backed plat-

form focused on improving return-to-work times in injured employees. He is

an instructor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School and an OM physician

at Cambridge Health Alliance.

See page 14 to see the recipients of our

Outstanding Clinical & Academic Teaching Awards!

Page 6

Patthrarawalai Phichalai, MD, MPH (MPH '14, Special OEM Fellow '16) is

from Thailand. Patthrarawalai is an instructor in occupational medicine at

King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, the teaching hospital of

Chulalongkorn University Medical School and one of the largest hospitals

in Thailand. After earning her MD from Chulalongkorn University, she com-

pleted her internship in rural areas of Chanthaburi, one of Thailand's largest

industrial provinces. Observing that access to occupational healthcare among

underprivileged workers is extremely limited and under-regulated, she decid-

ed to pursue the field of occupational medicine to raise the standard of occu-

pational safety. She subsequently served as a staff physician in the Department

of Preventive and Social Medicine, Chulalongkorn University Medical School

and earned a Master of Public Health degree in Occupational and Environmen-

tal Health from Harvard University in 2014 and completed her OEM Fellow-

ship in 2016.

Special International Fellow

We hope to see you at this year’s American College of Occupational

and Environmental Medicine’s AOHC 2017 reunion dinner!

See page 16 for details!

Spotlight: Carolyn S. Langer, MD, JD ’92, MPH ’92, OEMR ’93 In September, 2016,

Carolyn received the

Leadership in Public

Health Practice Award,

given to graduates of

the Harvard T.H. Chan

School of Public Health,

who have been out-

standing examples of

effective leadership in

the practice of public

health, in the public or

private sphere. As chief

medical officer of

MassHealth, Carolyn

provides clinical leader-

ship to the Massachu-

setts state Medicaid program, which serves one out of every

four citizens in the Commonwealth. Under her watch, the

Office of Clinical Affairs has evolved to meet the changing

needs of a program at the forefront of Affordable Care Act

implementation and the development of alternative payment

reform models, with Massachusetts at the leading edge of

health innovation. Dr. Langer has advanced the use of big

data and analytics across the Medicaid program to identify

cost-saving opportunities while improving access to care.

Major contributions include clinical input into the design of

primary care payment reform and accountable care organiza-

tion initiatives, as well as ensuring better access to newer

services, such as hepatitis C treatment, gender reassignment

surgery, and applied behavioral analysis for children with au-

tism, making Massachusetts a pioneer on many fronts. Dr.

Langer previously served as medical director for medical

management and quality at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and

is a retired colonel, medical corps officer, and flight surgeon

in the Army National Guard, where she commanded a mo-

bile army surgical hospital unit and directed an aviation medi-

cine program. Despite a demanding professional career, Dr.

Langer has always made time to inspire the next generation

of public health professionals at Harvard Chan, teaching oc-

cupational health policy and administration and lecturing for

the Center for Executive and Continuing Professional Educa-

tion. She is an associate professor at the University of Mas-

sachusetts Medical School and serves in an advisory capacity

to both the Boston University School of Public Health and

the Tufts University School of Medicine, in addition to giving

selflessly of her time to mentor undergraduate and graduate

students and young professionals alike.

In her own words, Carolyn states, It has often been said that

the true moral test of government is how that government treats

those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in

the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows

of life, the sick, the needy and the [disabled]. Whether in my

former practice of clinical occupational medicine preventing and

mitigating worker injury and illness or in my current role as Chief

Medical Officer of the Massachusetts Medicaid program

(MassHealth), I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to

improve health outcomes in some of our most vulnerable popula-

tions. I have also been blessed with very talented and dedicated

team members, including one of my former employees, Umbereen

Nehal, MBBS, MPH ’07, who nominated me for this award. I

would encourage occupational and public health practitioners—

particularly those who are students or at the start of their ca-

reers—to consider spending time in the public sector. It has been

one of the most gratifying experiences in my career, and I am so

proud of the work that we do each day at MassHealth and at the

Executive Office of Health and Human Services

I am very humbled to be the recipient of the Harvard T. Chan

School of Public Health 2016 Leadership in Public Health Practice

Award. I would particularly like to thank Dr. David Christiani and

Dr. Richard Monson who welcomed me into the occupational

medicine residency 27 years ago, even though, as an MD-JD, I did

not quite fit the typical profile. I appreciate their confidence in me

and hope that I have contributed to the school and will continue to

pay it forward to future generations of students. I would also like

to express my appreciation to all my colleagues in the OEM pro-

gram and to all my students, TAs and guest lecturers who have

passed through my course, Occupational Health Policy & Admin-

istration, these past 24 years. I can honestly say that I learn as

much from you as you do from me. It is an honor to be part of

the Department of Environmental Health and the broader HSPH

community.

Photo: Carolyn receiving the Leadership in Public Health Prac-

tice Award in September 2016.

Page 7

Spotlight: Rokho Kim, MD, MPH, DrPH ’95, OEMR ’95, PhD

Dr. Rokho Kim is a physician specializing in Family

Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine

and Climate/Planetary Health. He graduated from

Seoul National University College of Medicine in 1982

and completed residency training in Family Medicine at

the Seoul National University Hospital in 1985. He

completed residency training in Occupational and

Environmental Medicine at HSPH in 1995.

After graduating from Harvard School of Public Health

(Doctor of Public Health, 1995), and serving HSPH as

Instructor in Occupational Medicine, he was appointed

as Assistant Professor at Seoul National University

School of Public Health and Adjunct Assistant Profes-

sor at Harvard School of Public Health from 1998-

2001. He then served as Assistant Director of Occu-

pational Health Surveillance Program of Massachusetts

Department of Public Health from 2001-2003. During

this period, he was nominated as the founding CEO of

Wonjin Green Hospital and director of Wonjin Insti-

tute for Occupational and Environmental Health. From

1985-1991, he founded and managed Sadang Clinic and

provided free or low-cost primary healthcare services

to the uninsured patients in the poor neighbourhood

in Seoul. In 1987, he (and colleagues) founded the Kore-

an Association of Physicians for Humanism, serving as

leader of the association. Dr. Kim’s successful advoca-

cy work as a medical witness and a social activist for

the medical diagnosis and legal recognition of carbon

disulphide poisoning among the former

workers of Wonjin Rayon Company, suffering from

cerebrovascular strokes, was a historical milestone in

the development of occupational health policy in Ko-

rea. Later, he was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Award

by Harvard University at the graduation ceremony in

1995, and "Good Korean Citizen Award" by Moonhwa

Broadcasting Company (MBC) in Korea in 1999 for his

advocacy for workers with occupationally related dis-

eases. In 2003, Dr. Kim joined the World Health Or-

ganization (WHO), as Scientist at the European Cen-

tre for Environment and Health in Bonn, Germany,

where he provided technical and policy support to

European countries in areas of Environmental Health

Indicators, Noise and Health, and Occupational

Health. He coordinated the European Network of

WHO Collaborating Centres in Occupational Health

to implement WHO Global Plan of Action on Work-

ers' Health, and launched "European Network for

Workers' Health" with 32 European institutions. Since

2013, he was promoted to Environmental Health Spe-

cialist of WHO Division of Pacific Technical Support in

Suva, Fiji, serving 22 Pacific island countries and terri-

tories in the areas of Climate Change and Health, Dis-

aster Risk Management for Health as well as Water

and Sanitation. Dr. Kim is the celebrated author of

more than fifty scientific papers published in various

journals. He was the lead author of Occupational

Health and Safety chapter in the textbook, Facets of

Public Health in Europe (2014), and an editorial, Climate

change and health in Pacific island states, of the WHO

Bulletin (December 2015). He has been a fellow of

Collegium Ramazzini since 2013.

To make a gift in support

of our OEMR Program,

please visit:

www.hsph.harvard.edu/

oemr/about-us/make-a-

donation/

Page 8

ABPM Board

Exam Successes We are pleased to report suc-

cessful American Board of Pre-

ventive Medicine exam results for

OEMR 2016 graduates.

Deb Barbeau, Kevin Loh and Sam

Turner all passed the ABPM exam

for certification in Occupational

Medicine. Once again, HSPH

scores on average exceeded the

national means for OM-residency

trained examinees.

Congratulations to Deb,

Sam and

Kevin!

Kevin Loh, DO, FS, MPH

(MPH ’15, OEMR ’16) received

the ACOEM Public Safety Award

for his research entitled,

Entry-level fitness assessment

performance and the probability

of the subsequent academy

graduation in Massachusetts

police recruits.

Jeffrey E. Vogel, MD, MPH

(MPH ’16, OEMR ’16) was named

the inaugural Nyla Medlock

Fellow in OEM. Jeff was also selected as the recipient of the

2016 AOHC OPSF Resident

Scholarship.

Resident Research Awards and Presentations

From left: Ann Backus, MS, Instructor in Occupational Safety, Coordinator,

Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency, Jeff Vogel (MPH ‘16,

OEMR ‘16), Erin Teeple (MPH ‘14, OEMR ‘16), Kevin Loh (MPH ‘15, OEMR

‘16), Sam Turner (MPH ‘15, OEMR ‘16) , Deb Barbeau (OEMR ‘16) and

Stefanos N. Kales, MD, MPH, FACP, FACOEM (OEMR 1993), OEMR Pro-

gram Director and Associate Professor.

Page 9

Page 10

Resident and Recent Alumni Publications

Kwo E, Christiani D. The role of gene-environment interplay in occupational and environmental diseases: current concepts

and knowledge gaps. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2017 Mar; 23(2): 173-176. doi: 10.1097/MCP. 0000000000000364.

Waller KA, Chin KE, Jay GD, Zhang LX, Teeple E, McAllister S, Badger GJ, Schmidt, Fleming BC. Intra-articular recombinant

human proteoglycan 4 mitigates cartilage damage after destabilization of the medial meniscus in the Yucatan minipig. Am J

Sports Med. 2017 Jan; 1:363546516686965. doi: 10.1177/0363546516686965. PMID 28129516

MacFarlane LA, Yang H, Collins JE, Guermazi A, Jones MH, Teeple E, Xu L, Losina E, Katz JN. Associations among meniscal

damage, meniscal symptoms and knee pain severity. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2016 Dec 30; pii: S1063-4584(16)30494-0.

doi: 1016/j.joca.2016.12.023.

Dennerlein JT, O’Day ET, Mullow DF, Somerville J, Stoddard AM, Kenwood C, Teeple E, Boden Li, Sorensen G, Hasimoto

D. Arthroscopic irrigation of the bovine stifle joint increases cartilage surface friction and decreases superficial zone lubricin.

Occup Environ Med. 2016 Oct 25; pii: oemed-2015-103507. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2015-103507.

Teeple E, Karamchedu NP, Larson KM, Zhang L, Badger GJ, Fleming BC, Jay GD. Arthroscopic irrigation of the bovine stifle

joint increases cartilage surface friction and decreases superficial zone lubricin. J Biomech. 2016 Sep 6;49(13):3106-3110.

10.1016/j.jbiomech.2016.07.024. PMCID = PMC 5056145.

We are thrilled to announce that our

Occupational and Environmen-

tal Medicine Residency (OEMR)

Program received $1 million, last

summer, in endowed and $250,000

in current use funds for resident tui-

tion and stipend scholarships. These

funds have been generously donated

by an anonymous donor as part of a

$10 million total package of gifts to

the Harvard T.H. Chan School of

Public Health. Other portions of the

gift support financial aid for students

in the School’s Nutrition programs,

and the School’s Doctor of Public

Health (DrPH) Program. The full

press release from our School is

here: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/

news/press-releases/10-million-

anonymous-gift-to-harvards-public-

health-school-supports-scholarships-

doctoral-level-public-health-

leadership-training/ OEMR recipients

of scholarships from this program

will be called Prajna Fellows of Oc-

cupational and Environmental Medi-

cine. The anonymous donor, who

has now made gifts to the School

totaling more than $17 million, says

the purpose of the new gift is to in-

spire the spirit of Prajna, a Sanskrit

word that conveys ultimate wisdom

– wisdom that cannot be reached by

developing intellect alone, but entails

insight from experience and under-

standing through the engagement

with all that surrounds us. As we

celebrate these new gifts, please

consider making a contribution

of your own to further secure our

abilities to provide current and fu-

ture residents with a Harvard educa-

tion in Occupational Medicine. Op-

tions are available to make a gift to

endowed funds, which provide in-

come from the endowed principal in

perpetuity (Nyla Medlock Fund) or

to current use funds, which can be

spent in full as needed for resident

research, travel and other training

expenses (Occupational Medicine

Gift Fund).

Donate to Resident Education at OEM to Help Maintain Our Tradition of Excellence!

To make a donation, click on The

Nyla Medlock OEM Fund, from the

drop down box: www.hsph.harvard.edu/oemr/

about-us/make-a-donation/

Spotlight: Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH ‘93, MPH ‘82, (OEMR ‘88)

Howard Frumkin is Professor of

Environmental and Occupational

Health Sciences, at the University

of Washington School of Public

Health. Dr. Frumkin is an internist,

environmental and occupational

medicine specialist, and epidemiolo-

gist, who has worked in academia

and public service. From 2010 to

2016 he served as Dean at the

UWash School of Public Health.

From 2005 to 2010 he held leader-

ship roles at the U.S. Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention,

first as director of the National

Center for Environmental Health

and Agency for Toxic Substances

and Disease Registry (NCEH/

ATSDR), and later as Special Assis-

tant to the CDC Director for Cli-

mate Change and Health. During

his tenure NCEH/ATSDR created

programs in Climate Change and

in Healthy Community Design;

launched training programs

for college students, doctoral stu-

dents, and post-docs; expanded its

Biomonitoring and Environmental

Public Health Tracking programs;

and launched its National Conver-

sation on Public Health and Chemi-

cal Exposures. From 1990 to 2005,

he was Professor and Chair of Envi-

ronmental and Occupational Health

at Emory University's Rollins

School of Public Health and Profes-

sor of Medicine at Emory Medical

School.

Dr. Frumkin currently serves on

the Boards of the Seattle Parks

Foundation and the Bullitt Founda-

tion, and on Advisory Boards for

FutureHealth, the National Sustain-

able Communities Coalition, the

Partnership for Active Transporta-

tion, the Planetary Health Alliance,

and the Center for Design and

Health at the University of Virginia

School of Architecture. In past

years he served on the Boards of

the US Green Building Council,

Physicians for Social Responsibility

(PSR), the Children and Nature

Network (including a term as

Chair), the Pacific Northwest Dia-

betes Research Institute, the Na-

tional Environmental Education

Foundation, the American Public

Health Association (as Chair of

APHA’s Science Board), the Associ-

ation of Occupational and Environ-

mental Clinics (AOEC) (including a

term as President), and the Wash-

ington Global Health Alliance. He

chaired the Welcome Trust “Our

Planet, Our Health” funding com-

mittee. Other public and profes-

sional service included serving on

the Executive Committee of the

Regional Open Space Strategy for

Central Puget Sound, the American

Institute of Architects Design and

Health Leadership Group, the Na-

tional Toxicology Program Board of

Scientific Counselors, the National

Research Council Committee on

Sustainability Linkages in the Feder-

al Government, the Washington

Department of Ecology Toxics Re-

duction Strategy Group, and Seat-

tle's Green Ribbon Commis-

sion. As a member of EPA's Chil-

dren's Health Protection Advisory

Committee, he chaired the Smart

Growth and Climate Change work

groups. A graduate of the Institute

for Georgia Environmental Leader-

ship, he was named Environmental

Professional of the Year by the

Georgia Environmental Council in

2004. His research interests include

public health aspects of the built

environment, climate change, ener-

gy policy, and nature contact; toxic

effects of chemicals; and environ-

mental health policy. He is the au-

thor, co-author, or editor of over

200 scientific journal articles, chap-

ters, and books, including the

standard environmental health text-

book, Environmental Health: From

Global to Local.

Dr. Frumkin received his A.B. from

Brown University, his M.D. from

the University of Pennsylvania, his

M.P.H. and Dr.P.H. from Harvard,

his Internal Medicine training at the

Hospital of the University of Penn-

sylvania and Cambridge Hospital,

and his Environmental and Occupa-

tional Medicine training at Harvard.

He is Board-certified in Internal

Medicine and in Environmental and

Occupational Medicine, and is a

Fellow of the American College of

Physicians, the American College of

Occupational and Environmental

Medicine, Collegium Ramazzini and

the Royal College of Physicians of

Ireland. He loves cycling, kayaking,

and hiking. He is married to radio

journalist Joanne Silberner, and has

two children.

Page 11

Page 12

On December 2, 2016, the New

England College of Occupational and

Environmental Medicine (NECOEM)

awarded Dr. Michael Erdil with the

distinguished Harriet Hardy award

at its 2016 Annual Conference in

Newton. NECOEM presents this

award annually to an individual who

has made outstanding contributions

to the field. Michael Erdil, MD,

FACOEM, is a physician with Occu-

pational and Environmental Health

Network in Marlborough MA; and

an Assistant Professor at the Uni-

versity of Connecticut Health Cen-

ter in the Department of Internal

Medicine, Section of Occupational

Medicine. Dr. Erdil is Board Certi-

fied in Occupational and Environ-

mental Medicine, and a Fellow of the

American College of Occupational

and Environmental Medicine. Dr. Erdil has been involved with

evidence based recommendations

from several entities over the years.

Dr. Erdil served as a reviewer for

the Agency for Health Care Policy

and Research Acute Low Back Prob-

lems in Adults 1994; and the

American College of Occupational

and Environmental Medicine Oc-

cupational Medicine Practice

Guidelines 1st edition. Dr. Erdil

currently serves on the Editorial

Advisory Board for the Official

Disability Guidelines Treatment in

Workers Comp and has recently

joined UpToDate to author the

Occupational Low Back Pain topic

reviews.

Dr. Erdil has co-authored Cumu-

lative Trauma Disorders of the

Upper Extremity, and Biomechan-

ics of Manual Material Handling

and Low Back Pain for Zenz’ Oc-

cupational Medicine Mosby; Cu-

mulative Trauma Disorders: Pre-

vention, Evaluation, and Treatment

for Van Nostrand Reinhold; a chap-

ter on Medications and Return to

Work for the AMA Physician’s

Guide to Return to Work (1st ed)

and other publications.

Dr. Erdil has collaborated on a num-

ber of efforts to prevent occupa-

tional disease and musculoskeletal

disorders, and to improve musculo-

skeletal care outcomes. Dr. Erdil

served as the Advisory Board Chair-

man for the Connecticut Road In-

dustry Surveillance Project, a Na-

tional Institute of Occupational Safe-

ty and Health funded grant con-

ceived by Dr. Kathy Maurer at Yale

University to prevent lead toxicity

in road and bridge construction

workers. With funding from

ATSDR, Dr. Erdil, Dr. Maurer and

the CT Dept. of Health developed

materials to help Connecticut physi-

cians take an occupational and envi-

ronmental health history, compiled

a resource manual for primary care

physicians dealing with exposure

related disease, and developed a

computer program to help deter-

mine if patients developed environ-

mental illness due to exposure to

CT Superfund sites. Dr. Erdil collab-

orated with Dr. Martin Cherniack

from UConn DOEM to co-author

sections of the Health Effects Sec-

tion of the Preamble to the Pro-

posed OSHA Ergonomics Rule, and

testified at the Dept. of Labor hear-

ings to advocate for worker safety.

Some recent interests have included

implementing educational materials

and strategies to help patients make

better decisions regarding treatment

options for musculoskeletal disor-

ders.

Photo credit: Kathryn Costello

Dr. Michael Erdil Receives the 2016 Harriet Hardy Award

I was honored to receive the Harriett Hardy Award from the New

England College of Occupational

and Environmental Medicine this

past year. Dr. Hardy spent her distinguished career blending clinical

practice, education, research

and activism. Her autobiography

“Challenging Man Made Disease,” was influential in

my decision to pursue a career

in prevention and occupational med-

icine. I owe inspirational thanks to

Dr. Hardy, the individuals who have

received this award in the past, in-

cluding Dr. Kales, and numerous

colleagues I have had

the privilege to work with and learn

from over the years. I hope

that my presentation encouraged attendees to become more active at

a time when health care and our

profession are at a crossroads. —

Dr. Michael Erdil

Page 13

`

Dr. Elisha Atkins’ Retirement Celebration On May, 6, 2016, the Harvard Chan OEMR celebrated the illustrious career of Dr. Elisha Atkins

(OEMR ‘82), with a gathering of colleagues, friends and

family members, to honor this esteemed professor and

physician. Dr. Atkins is an Assistant Professor of Medi-

cine, Harvard Medical School and served for over 20

years as the Medical Director, Occupational Health Pro-

gram at Massachusetts General Hospital. During his

many years in occupational medicine, Dr. Atkins made

numerous outstanding contributions to our field, includ-

ing his position as Director of MGH’s Employee Health

Service, dedicated service as a member of our Residency

Advisory Committee, lecturing in the EH232 OEM

course, and serving as an excellent clinical preceptor.

This wonderful event was most generously sponsored

by Dr. Dean Hashimoto, Chief of OEM at Partners

Healthcare, who worked closely with Dr. Atkins in his

MGH roles. Tributes to Dr. Atkins were also delivered

by Drs. Kales, Pransky and Goldman.

In January 2016, Dr. Kales served as the

Course Director for the Harvard Special Ses-

sion: Introduction to Occupational Health. He

taught a graduate-level short-course, to 19

students from Japan, the Philippines, China,

Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand, at the Teikyo

University Campus in Tokyo, Japan. The pro-

gram is organized by Professor Eiji Yano, the

founding Dean of Teikyo's School of Public

Health, and a 1984 MPH graduate of Harvard,

as well as the 2013 recipient of Harvard Chan's

Alumni Award of Merit In 2015, Dr. Christiani

taught the same course and this year, Dr. Rose

Goldman gave an environmental health version

of the special session. For Stefanos, teaching

these classes was a privilege, with a great

group of students, and the superb collabora-

tion of Prof. Yano, his colleagues and staff.

Dr. Kales Visits Teikyo University

Above: Dr. Glenn Pransky and Dr. Stefanos Kales present

Dr. Atkins with a commemorative plaque in honor of his

exceptional service.

Photo left:

Dr. Atkin’s colleagues, family

(including Dr. Atkins’ wife,

mother and daugh-

ter, pictured first

row center) and

friends at the May

6th celebration.

Photo: Bottom left, Dr. Yano; Prof. Kozue Yamaoka, Dean, Teikyo SPH; Dr. Kales;

Prof. Kunio Hara with the 2016 class of students.

Page 14

Outstanding Clinical & Academic Teaching Awards

Each year, OEMR residents elect one clinical preceptor from their clinical rotations and one faculty in-

structor from their Masters in Public Health courses, who have had an especially meaningful impact on

their training and education to receive awards of recognition. We are delighted to announce that Lee

Okurowski, MD, MPH, MBA, (OEMR ‘02) received the 2016 award of Outstanding Clinical Facul-

ty and Emily Sparer, ScD (’15), MS (‘11) received the 2016 award of Outstanding Academic Facul-

ty. On behalf of the OEMR program, we would like to thank you both for your time, dedication and

outstanding mentoring. Congratulations Lee and Emily!

The award is a huge honor

and I am very grateful for

the recognition. I learned a

ton from the students as

well, and their enthusiasm

and interest in the material

made for a wonderful class-

room experience!" —

Emily Sparer

Donating is easy—you can donate online at https://secure.post.harvard.edu/olc/pub/HAA/onlinegiving/

showGivingForm.jsp?form_id=63151 and make a note that your gift is for the HSPH OEMR Program (Nyla

Medlock Endowed Fund or the OEMR Gift Fund) or you can complete the following section and enclose it

with your payment. Please contact Ms. Rachel Link at rlink@hsph.harvard.edu or (617) 432-1260 for assis-

tance.

First Name _________________________ Last Name _____________________________

Street Address_______________________ City__________________________________

State______________________________ Zip Code______________________________

Phone Number ______________________ E-mail ________________________________

Donation Amount* $ _________________ Gift Fund ____ or Nyla Medlock Endowment_____

Please mail to: (Payable to Harvard University, with memo for Nyla Medlock Fund or OEMR

Gift Fund), Ms. Rachel Link, Finance, EOME, Bldg I, 14th Floor, Room 1402, Harvard T.H.

Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115

Donate to Resident Education at OEMR

Dr. Gerardo D. Durand, MPH ‘09 Dr. Ashok N. Nimgade

Dr. Kevin Johnson Dr. Karina Descartin & Mr. Gerry Manacsa

Thank you!

This list reflects donations to the HSPH OEMR for the 2016 calendar year, based on information provided by Development as of

February 2017

Donor Recognition Thank You to our Generous Supporters!

$10,000-$14,999 Drs. Anthony and Joyce Kales

Dr. Elisha (Skip) H. Atkins Ms. Nyla Medlock

$5,000-$7,499 Drs. Samuel Forman ‘80 and Yulika E. Forman

Dr. Stefanos Kales ‘93 and Ana Kales Dr. Dean M. Hashimoto

$1,000-$2,499 Occupational & Environmental Health Network

Dr. Anthony John Vita, MPH ‘02 Cambridge Health Alliance Dr. Hsien W. Hsu, SM ‘02

Up to $500 NECOEM

Occupational Health Connections, Inc. Occupational and Environmental Health

Network Dr. Rose Goldman, MPH ‘80, SM ‘81

& Mr. Alan Drabkin Dr. Gina M. Solomon, MPH ‘94

Page 15

NECOEM Poster Session 2016

Page 16

American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine’s

AOHC 2017

Please join us at the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine’s AOHC 2017 for an

Alumni Reunion as we welcome current and former HSPH OEM residents in Denver, CO. The

dinner will take place on Monday, April 24, 2017, 8:00pm at Avelina Restaurant.

If you are an OEMR alumnus, please RSVP to Tiffany Sarkissian, tsarkiss@hsph.harvard.edu.

We are looking forward to this year’s conference and reunion!

This year, Deb Barbeau (OEMR ‘16) presented on the Zika Virus, entitled, Emerging Infections, Zika Virus: Lessons Learned.

Posters included were: 1) Korre M, Porto LGG, Farioli A, Christiani D, Christophi C, Lombardi D, Kovacs R, Abbasi

S, Steigner M, Moffatt S, Smith D, Kales SN. Validation of the Effect of Body Mass Index on Left Ventricular Mass in Career

Male Firefighters. New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine/Mass Association of Occupational

Health Nurses (NECOEM/MaAOHN) and 2) Sotos-Prieto M, Cash S, Christophi C, Folta S, Moffatt S, Muegge C, Korre M,

Mozaffarian D, Kales SN. Feeding America’s Bravest: Mediterranean Diet-Based Intervention to change Firefighters’ Eating

Habits and Improve Cardiovascular Risk Profiles. New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine/Mass

Association of Occupational Health Nurses (NECOEM/MaAOHN).

In June 2016, Dr. Kales was an invited keynote speaker at the Symposium

on First Responders’ Safety and Health, in Seoul, Korea, at Seoul National

University. Dr. Kales discussed his extensive work on cardiovascular

disease and sudden cardiac death, among firefighters and police.

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Symposium on First Responders’ Safety and Health, in Seoul, Korea, at Seoul Nation-

al University (SNU). Pictured above from left: Chairperson Dr. Joo-Young Lee, SNU, Dr. Jorma Rantanen, Director Emeritus, Finnish Inst. Of Occ. Health; Dr. Rokho Kim,

Dr. Stefanos Kales along with other SNU students and faculty.

Page 17 Contact Us: Ann Backus, MS Administrator, OEMR Mailing Address: Room 1-1402 665 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02115 Email: abackus@ hsph.harvard.edu Phone: (617) 432-3327 Fax: (617) 432-0219 NIOSH Grant Number: T42 OH008416

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/

oemr/

Mediterranean Diet & Health

October 15-21, 2017, Halkidiki, Greece

Travel to Greece with the PBS TV

show, The Cooking Odyssey, interna-

tional experts and Harvard Faculty

for a hands-on, mouth-watering im-

mersion course on the benefits of

the Mediterranean Diet, where it

was born. With world-renowned

instructors and the Aegean Sea as

your classroom, enjoy interactive

learning combined with a once-in a

lifetime experience of legendary

Greek hospitality, healthy & deli-

cious food and wine, warmed by the

Greek autumn sun and surrounded

by the famed sights, sounds and fla-

vors of Greece, old and new.

http://mediterraneanhealth.org/